tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post8878350996633441074..comments2024-03-25T09:56:16.164+00:00Comments on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: Looking out for libraries: Sue PurkissUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-54373578492084663242010-06-03T09:48:11.258+01:002010-06-03T09:48:11.258+01:00Shirley - you put it so well! And Cat - I love the...Shirley - you put it so well! And Cat - I love the sound of your library and all that goes on there. It's got me thinking. Thanks, everyone.Sue Purkisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09084528571944803477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-77431399136638466392010-06-02T22:31:16.834+01:002010-06-02T22:31:16.834+01:00Great post, and I too am very grateful to Carnegie...Great post, and I too am very grateful to Carnegie. I was brought up with a wonderful small town library. I wish my daughter could have the same experience but our local (Matlock-not far from you) is beyond dire- no child could lose themselves among the shelves there. A great loss I think.hilaryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02849132435509266651noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-92053472694634161162010-06-02T10:12:06.464+01:002010-06-02T10:12:06.464+01:00My local library - one of the Carnegie buildings -...My local library - one of the Carnegie buildings - is currently closed and in the last few months of being being refurbished. The temporary library is now awash with flyers inviting people to become Friends of the Library and also Library Volunteers. While this new mood of welcoming openness seems a good thing, I can't help wondering what effect it will have on staffing, especially librarians who know about books and people.<br /><br />I loved Shirley & Linda's libraries!Penny Dolanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16386668303428008498noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-50105240755505642022010-06-02T09:37:08.656+01:002010-06-02T09:37:08.656+01:00Hurray for libraries! Sweet-shops for the mind! Wh...Hurray for libraries! Sweet-shops for the mind! When I was a child, they were the only places in my world where reading was not only encouraged, but 'cool'. And seeing adults reading as avidly as I did was a huge inspiration. Now, my local little library in Walderslade is a haven. The life of a writer can be a lonely one, but there I will always find someone ready to chat about something I'm reading, or to recommend a similar book they've enjoyed. The librarians ask me how my writing is going (oh, how grateful I am for that kindness!) and nag me to keep going when my courage fails. Best library moment recently? Seeing a mum sigh with contentment as her little girl skips off to 'Chatterbooks' down one end of the room, while she settles down on the sofa for a whole hour with a book. A proper, grown-up book, just for her. Bliss.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13912774665400125173noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-78477529522257007882010-06-02T07:25:33.726+01:002010-06-02T07:25:33.726+01:00How we treat Libraries is a bellwether of our nati...How we treat Libraries is a bellwether of our national attitude to literacy and learning. Trashing the public library service produces a society that is underpinned by no more than business interests, jobs for the boys and vacuous blathering.<br /><br />Is it so politically incorrect to eulogise Carnegie? The "'world's elite," we are told today, have recently met (in secret) to arrange the planet in the best manner to protect their interests. Not many Carnegies among them ... nor anywhere else, it would seem.<br /><br />And, pray, why do we have to reiterate a million times "what we want in a library," Andrew, as if it were likely that those seeking such enlightenment did not know already? If they have missed the message, people want books and paid front-line staff who are treated properly and whose role is given the respect it deserves. <br /><br />Yes, elderly people and children and others who are vulnerable to council cuts are the priority, but it is they who find community libraries their lifeline. <br /><br />A "tsunami of library closures" has been predicted by The Good Library Guide. "What do you want in your library?" we'll be asked. Come on, pull the other one.Shirley Burnhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15084287511173567625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-56872003607637165482010-06-02T07:17:16.776+01:002010-06-02T07:17:16.776+01:00Our local library is also a community hub. People ...Our local library is also a community hub. People meet there. They leave things for each other there. It has a gardening group, a knitting group, two computer groups, five reading groups, story telling for babies, for toddlers and activities of all sorts for the children. There are guest speakers from time to time. They have just run a workshop in digital photography and related it to the importance of photography in some books.<br />It is constantly busy. In football mad Australia more people still go to a library each week than go to a football match. I still get a thrill watching a toddler barely able to hold a clutch of books going up to the counter and borrowing their own selection!catdownunderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06959328192182156574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-27642101285325478352010-06-01T15:25:49.368+01:002010-06-01T15:25:49.368+01:00I think I have reason to be grateful to Carnegie, ...I think I have reason to be grateful to Carnegie, and don't see why I shouldn't say so. As for what I want - I want a place where books are central, which draws people in and makes them welcome in whatever ways work. But I'm a writer: obviously these things are important to me. I'm interested in what other people think about libraries too.Sue Purkisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09084528571944803477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-35751040516302857822010-06-01T15:03:49.297+01:002010-06-01T15:03:49.297+01:00Well, I'm not a child anymore, and don't r...Well, I'm not a child anymore, and don't respond so easily to other people's exhortations. <br /><br />How about if you make the effort and say what you want from a library...? Rather than eulogising Carnegie.Andrew Prestonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14063661979113168003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-15938588183935572312010-06-01T13:52:19.096+01:002010-06-01T13:52:19.096+01:00Good on you for highlighting the libraries, Sue. T...Good on you for highlighting the libraries, Sue. They are vitally important in every way and I fear will bear the brunt now of a lot of cuts. We all have to make sure that our loud pro-library voices are heard. I'm sure all ABBA readers know about Alan Gibbons's Campaign for the Book? It flies the flag for libraries and is worth looking into. Type Alan's name into Google...adelehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15826710558292792068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-57933573618276177132010-06-01T13:19:41.408+01:002010-06-01T13:19:41.408+01:00I'm sure they will. I think there's someth...I'm sure they will. I think there's something else here, too: from what I've heard, there are a number of exciting developmments in city libraries. But small rural libraries are much more at risk. And so maybe there needs to be a discussion about what libraries should be and can provide. They aren't going to be the same as they were when I was a kid, so I think we need to think about just what we want of them in future. What concerns me is that we shouldn't wake up in a few years and suddenly find they've dwindled or gone - not because they're not needed, but because they were an easy target for cuts.Sue Purkisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09084528571944803477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-86376529143313404182010-06-01T13:02:38.183+01:002010-06-01T13:02:38.183+01:00I heartily endorse everything you've said Sue ...I heartily endorse everything you've said Sue and I hope I'm not being naive but Cardiff libraries seem to be in a very healthy state indeed. The centre of the city has recently undergone a major refurb, part of which I'm delighted to say has included the building of a new five-storey library with fantastic facilities and research resources. Local branches are being updated too. But I will heed your warning and do a bit of digging around. Public spending cuts are almost certain to hit our libraries too.Sue Barrowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16104116361166037266noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-67152177998738225542010-06-01T11:29:42.122+01:002010-06-01T11:29:42.122+01:00Sue- I too went 'up town' to Oldham librar...Sue- I too went 'up town' to Oldham library. It was a lifesaver for me. Summer holidays were spent ploughing through books. I'll never forget the moment my brother pointed out to me that I didn't just have to look in the childrens'section - I could choose a book from anywhere. A great post!Lynda Waterhousehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04880769618542325268noreply@blogger.com